github / github/copilot-cli

[Bug] CLI downgrades TERM from xterm-256color to xterm-color — diff highlighting has no colors

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area:terminal-rendering area:tools
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Shell
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Description

### Describe the bug

The Copilot CLI binary overrides `TERM=xterm-256color` to `TERM=xterm-color` (8 colors) when spawning its bash subshells. This causes diff highlighting to show **no colors at all** — only `+`/`-` markers are visible with no red/green background highlighting, making it impossible to review changes.

### Screenshot

Image

> The diff shows `+` and `-` markers but no red/green color highlighting. All text is the same color, making it very difficult to identify changes.

### Evidence

The parent copilot process inherits the correct TERM from the terminal:
```
Parent copilot process: TERM=xterm-256color, COLORTERM=truecolor
Child bash subprocess: TERM=xterm-color, COLORTERM=truecolor
```

Verified via `ps -p -E` — the parent has `xterm-256color`, but the spawned `bash --norc --noprofile` subprocess gets `xterm-color` (only 8 colors).

### Impact

- Diff output shows `+` and `-` markers but **zero color highlighting** (no red/green backgrounds)
- All CLI themes tested (`default`, `high-contrast`, `dim`, `colorblind`) show the same issue
- Development workflow is blocked — cannot visually review proposed changes
- This works correctly on Windows, where TERM is not overridden

### Environment

- **Copilot CLI version:** 1.0.34 (binary at `/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/copilot-cli/1.0.32/copilot`)
- **OS:** macOS (Darwin, Apple Silicon)
- **Terminals tested:** Ghostty 1.3.1, macOS Terminal.app — same result in both
- **Terminal multiplexer:** Zellij (but TERM is correct before CLI overrides it)
- **Shell:** zsh (CLI spawns `bash --norc --noprofile`)

### Steps to reproduce

1. On macOS, confirm terminal has `TERM=xterm-256color` (e.g. Ghostty, iTerm2, Terminal.app)
2. Launch `copilot`
3. Ask Copilot to edit any file
4. Observe the diff preview — no color highlighting on added/removed lines
5. Verify inside the CLI session: `echo $TERM` shows `xterm-color` instead of the terminal's `xterm-256color`

### Expected behavior

The CLI should preserve the terminal's TERM value (`xterm-256color`) or at minimum use `COLORTERM=truecolor` (which IS correctly inherited) for rendering decisions. Diff highlighting should show colored backgrounds for added/removed lines.

### Related issues

- #1813 — Diff highlights entire line (users there at least have colors)
- #1818 — Diff highlight colors broken (fixed, but those users had colors too)
- #1847 — Code diffs hard to see in dark mode (fixed)
- #2216 — Low contrast text selection

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Reproduce on macOS with TERM=xterm-256color and inspect the environment passed to the bash --norc --noprofile subprocess spawned by the copilot binary. Trace where TERM changes from xterm-256color to xterm-color, then verify that the child preserves the terminal value and that diff previews regain colored added and removed lines.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
bash, macos, shell
Domain
cli, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
58/100

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